Ridley Scott Set to Replace Drew Goddard to Direct The Martian
If Crown Publishers had not spotted the then-eBook on Amazon, we will probably not know about The Martian. Originally self-published by American novelist Andy Weir, the Kindle edition of the science fiction novel sold over 35,000 copies in just three months — clearly an incredible feat for a debut author. After it caught the attention of several print publishers, Weir sold The Martian for six figures, and the rest is history.
Drew Goddard, who made his directorial debut with 2012 film The Cabin in the Woods, was originally scouted by Twentieth Century Fox to adapt and direct The Martian. However, as of May 13, 2014, it was reported that Ridley Scott was in talks to call the shots, instead. Well, at least for the directing aspect.
Goddard has previously written episodes for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost and Alias while Scott has rubbed shoulders with Sigourney Weaver and John Hurt in Alien. The English film director then moved on to Blade Runner, Gladiator and Prometheus. The Martian also stars Matt Damon.
The Martian tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) who was left behind by his crew members on Mars. Determined to return back to Earth, he uses his engineering skills to overcome the odds against him. The Martian has been described as “Apollo 13 meets Cast Away”.
It has since received positive reviews from readers and critics alike. Based on the ratings and reviews, The Martian has an overall score of 4.33 on Goodreads. This is based on roughly 12,000 ratings and over 2,000 reviews. The novel has also been praised by critics from various print publications such as Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and even Kirkus Reviews.
Although no release date has been confirmed, The Martian is already making waves in the filming industry. Will the excitement die down causing the movie to flop? I guess we can only wait and see.